TITLE: Folk
AUTHOR: Zoe Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing
GENRE: Fantasy/Magical Realism
BLURB: “On a remote and unforgiving island lies a village unlike any other: Neverness. A girl is snatched by a water bull and dragged to its lair, a babe is born with a wing for an arm and children ask their fortunes of an oracle ox. While the villagers live out their own tales, enchantment always lurks, blighting and blessing in equal measure.”
BUY LINKS: Amazon In Flipkart Amazon US Amazon UK
MY RATING: 3.5/5
MY REVIEW:
Folk is a short story collection set in the mythical village of Neverness. Each story tells the tale of one of the residents of the village. All the stories are inter-weaved together and we get a glimpse into the lives of all the villagers. One is abducted by the water bull, one is consumed by the gorse fire, while another is born with a wing for an arm; Folk is filled with many more such stories.
“The torches lean in closer, their flames swooping in the wind. The first licks take. Soon the headland of Neverness is crackling, spitting fire into the sky, as cheers go up through the scented smoke.”
This book was one of my most anticipated releases of the year ever since it’s cover release, I mean who wouldn’t fall in love with that cover right! 😍 So when I was sent an ARC by the publishers I was ecstatic. I went into the book expecting it to be a novel and was disappointed when I realised that it was a short story collection. That disappointment didn’t stay for long though cause once I started reading the stories, I was hooked. The brilliance of this book lies in the world created by the author and the atmospheric writing. The author manages to suck you into the world of Neverness with her wonderful and vivid writing style. The map at the beginning was an added bonus, I mean who doesn’t love maps, am I right. 😉 I loved a few stories while others flew over my head. I also liked how some of the stories were low-key focused on important and relevant topics such as postpartum depression, drugs, clinical depression, and rape.
What I didn’t enjoy about the book though was the incoherent plot structure. The timeline of the stories was extremely confusing and hindered my reading experience.
All in all, I’d suggest this book to fans of magical realism and folk tales. 😀
*Disclaimer: I was sent and ARC by the publishers for review but all opinions stated are honest and unbiased.
See you soon! 😄
xo,Rishi
thebookwormdiaries 